Teetering on the Edge
by NuttersAscend
Summary: Who would listen to a person spouting nonsense about castles high beyond the skies?For all the hero worship Midoriya Izuku indulged himself in, despite being quirkless, he got a lot of information.If the 'right' pair of ears heard him out, justice might have a really hard time prevailing.But will that make Izuku their ally or their worst mistake?Villain!Izuku to Double Agent!Izuku
1. To Live Lucid Dreams & Wake Up Crashing

Heya, nice to meet you guys.

Disclaimer: BNHA ain't mine

Lemme know what you think of the story. Please excuse the grammatical mistakes (I get lazy to review it after I write. Else, couldya mention em if you want to). I hope you like the story :3

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**To Live a Lucid Dream and Wake Up Crashing to Reality**

Midoriya Izuku was a quirkless boy, a revelation that seemingly crashed the dreams, hopes and the world the boy hoped himself to be a part of in the future.

The forest haired child stared skull-shocked as the doctor told his mom that he could find no quirk or gift whatsoever in the child. His hands were a standstill, frozen from its past enthusiasm- he would have cheered in utter anticipation for the power he would have beheld. His body followed, still unwilling to face the present and the future it deemed on him.

His vision flashed multiple images of heroes with different quirks, their supporters and technicians who weld powers, regardless of how flashy or seemingly innocuous they looked like. He thought that regardless of what he would have, he could utilize its potential to its complete extent to help people.

His mother was uncharacteristically loud. The usually meek yet happy woman seemed oddly distraught at something- she was demanding, asking, begging for a second examination. _Something_ must have gone wrong with the examination. This must have all been a big mistake.

Maybe her baby boy could have a more detailed diagnosis. It didn't matter how expensive it would be- maybe the doctor would change his mind after something popped up in a more detailed examination. Maybe it was a misdiagnosis, equipment failure or some other kind of error.

Yet, the doctor remained firm. He was sure.

This... this was reality.

Sometimes life dealt you with bad cards. But you've still gotta play.

The greenette's hands finally unpaused itself, opting to fidget about for something in thin air. It was a practised motion- he was looking for a book to jot down his storming thoughts. It buzzed loudly in his head, making him feel like he would soon hallucinate the sounds of an angry beehive.

Data about heroes, plans about how he would make the world a better place, information about villains, his to be costumes and hero name... All jotted down in ink, but not present for him to add his newest circumstance and the possible contingency plans. It represented his future- non-existent - like his quirks.

The doctor's pitying looks were cast upon him, while his mother looked frantically hysteric. She was tightly clenching her wrist with enough force to leave a bruise... like she was punishing herself for having the genetic disposition to put her treasure into this ugly scenario.

Her eyes swam around in urgency as she was frantically thinking of anything she could do to salvage this situation. No doubt, her mind was flashing back to the countless number of times her son chirped about his future heroics- his eyes sparkling. It was a stark contrast to what her precious child looked like now with his rapidly dimming eyes, as it dawned upon him about what this all would mean to him.

It was at this time that she loathed the fact that her child was extremely intelligent. It seemed like darkness had seeped from the bottom of his eyes and slowly draped itself languidly on his small shoulders, as it sagged with the weight of the present and the burdens that his fate had bestowed upon him.

Midoriya was unresponsive even as she had fled from the hospital, to seek shelter in the comfort of their home. The quiet and stillness were fraying her already short and tense nerves. Her ears became extremely sensitive as they strained to hear sobs or words of some sort. Her own eyes felt blurry as tears fogged her vision.

When they reached home, the boy dashed into his room and ran straight to his computer. The child was feverously looking through the internet.

* * *

The next day, Midoriya decided to break the news to Kacchan and their pals. He felt that things might be better if he confided in them- that he would know that he was making a mountain out of a molehill as he had always done.

Kacchan would know what to do. He was always brave and heroic and he could easily take on anything and everything that could happen to him or anyone else. The boy was resilient, courageous, bold and smart. He had once reassured Izuku that he could become his side-kick on many occasions.

"I went to the clinic yesterday... to get my quirk evaluated-" but he somehow couldn't will himself to continue. His throat had something lodged in itself. It made it hard for him to breathe, let alone speak.

Bakugo looked at the red-faced brat in front of him and smiled mockingly, "What? Did the guy say that you got something really lame? Well, that's Izuku for you.". The other two kids prodded the greenette hoping for something embarrassing enough for the books, their imagination going wild.

"So? Spit it out already!" the bomber teased, feeling impatient. His 'requests' always had a way of making Midoriya feel like he simply just had to respond, and he whispered-

"I'm quirkless."

Then silence reigned. It was so oppressive that Midoriya's head bowed down from the weight of its gravity. But his curiosity egged him on to take a peek at his friend's face.

The betrayal that painted the blond's face made him snap his head up. His body immediately tensed as the three he had confided had looks of derision, with Bakugo's wrathful face made a keening buzz which rang loudly right next to his ear. He didn't know what the other said, but it felt like time was slowing down until he was the only one left in the streets.

His ears burned with something and he felt like he was choking on something. He dazedly thought that he would be late to school if he stood there any longer, so he plodded onwards with heavy footsteps.

His entry into his classroom was welcomed with an unpleasant surprise. All eyes were on him as he heard the remnant of the conversation. Turns out, the other two friends of his found the revelation to be extremely worthy of gossip- enough for them to loudly announce and share it with the rest of his classmates. After all, there was the well known saying, 'Sharing is caring'.

Things changed from that day.

Anytime Midoriya volunteered for anything, his classmates would guffaw and giggle, amused by the idea that he could accomplish something anymore. The very notion that he could help them out in some way was hilarious. In their school's sports festival, the teacher straight up ignored his participation, thinking that the one quirkless guy couldn't meaningfully contribute to their festival. The kid would probably get injured in the first second and get his parent to fuss over the school's safety programme.

_He had spent days investigating everything about their each and every quirks to exploit their habits and little tidbits so that he wouldn't pull them down with him. He wasn't even planning on letting his mom know that he'd be taking part to escape the obvious refusal. He was adept in concealing anything that would happen to him. He wasn't a burden. He swore that he wouldn't be a burden to society. On the contrary, he planned to be the one to lift their burden..._

Bakugo snapped horribly when Midoriya dared to utter that he would still become a hero, despite being quirkless. The explosive boy would look at him like he was a goddamn idiot that looked down on the notion of being a hero like he was downright disrespecting the profession and insulting the other.

"You're a fucking Deku. You're delusional if you're still saying you want to be a hero. You even idiotically wrote that on the career aspiration form that the teacher gave us. Change it. That teacher didn't have the guts to tell that to you face to face. That guy told me to 'advice' you cos he thinks we're friends or something.

Stop pulling me in your mess, idiot. And change that from now on, so that this doesn't repeat from now on."

"N-no!"

"What did you say, Deku?! Did you just talk back to me and with that kind of nonsense?!"

_It was his conviction. He wrote it in writing as an oath that, that was what he would become- regardless of what die life rolled out for him._

"Deku! I'll do you a favor and pretend that I was deaf the past ten seconds. Now, _what did you say you'll do?_"

"K-kacchan. I'm still going to apply to UA-"

"What part of being quirkless do you not get?! Getting good grades sure hasn't gotten you to fucking wisen up! Idiots like you won't get it until someone beats some sense into you!"

_Why did it turn out that this one goal of him made him out to seem downright senseless in front of other people? When people said that nothing is impossible when his mind supplied solutions after solutions as it ran itself ragged to help him with a dream that was transforming into an obsession. Hearing objections, whether voiced out loud or from their body language, left and right- it made him think of even those lifeboats that his brain supplied, as mirages; deceptive illusions._

"What are you even going to do? What advantage could you have against a person with quirks? Deku, I'll spell it out for you so. You know how people like us are different from you? We're you, plus the quirks. Anything you can do, we can do, and _plus ultra_" the explosive boy quipped sarcastically.

"N-no, Kacchan. I can still do something. I've been training. I'm also spending more time developing my mind-"

"You think that by somehow working to your death, you'll somehow become superhuman?! Do you even get what 'super human' means? That somehow, by working your ass off, you'll break through your biological limits and 'get a quirk'?

You'll be a fucking liability and you're worse than a civilian!

You creepily stalk and act like you read each and every one of us and yet, with all that data you've snooped off of us, you can't even see the gap between us?! Are you underestimating me?! **You**?!"

_The two of them were once from the same mould- having the same goal. The two would have done anything and everything in their means to reach their goal. But now, it seemed like the one thing that separated them, gave the other tinted shades that warped anything and everything the former did._

A deep fracture broke between the two. Midoriya remained the same, even after the diagnosis. But Bakugo couldn't see him beyond his label of being quirkless. In fact, none of his school mates nor his teachers could.

Midoriya's passion for discussing heroes and quirks and his penchant of going into their in-depth analysis had to be confined to his books. This was because his classmates couldn't take his words seriously anymore as they heard him superficially while seeing the hilarity of a person of his disposition speaking so intimately about the topic. Bakugo made his ire more apparent.

"What can the quirkless Deku have to talk about heroes?! It's not even related to you! So just shut up!"

"If I want to hear about heroes, I'll hear it from someone who actually has the one thing needed to even put himself in those shoes. And that ain't you."

"Watching TV and documents about a hero won't get you any closer to being one. You can stuff that worthless brain of yours completely with everything about heroes, down to what underwear they wear every day- but _I swear_, it's not going to get you to ever a minuscule closer!"

"Tell you what, there hasn't been anyone from the hero association or any hero that's quirkless. And it's not going to start with you either!"

"You better quit it with the books, or I'll take that and shove it so deep into you, you'll be shitting paper for the next three days!

If there's anything you'll be in the future, it'd be a professional creep, aka, a stalker."

Disproval dripped like poison from Bakugo's tongue. The explosion user was armed with approval from everyone around him, only further bolstering him- making his words venomous, and his actions more and more dangerous. Was Midoriya pushing him to his very limits and testing his very limited patience? Or was it the other way around?

Midoriya couldn't get a break, even in his own house. Midoriya Inko walked on eggshells with him, trying to cater to anything he said he wanted. She stopped scolding him and even tried offering anything his eyes lingered on.

It was nerve-wracking. She was trying to compensate him, but Midoriya wanted to desperately believe that he hadn't lost anything, despite the various wounds and burns that his classmates and his ex-friends gave him, in retaliation to his stance. They had raised their fists, infuriated and riled on by his stubbornness; he couldn't defend himself. It was as appalling as hearing a person insist that the world was flat.

He pretended that he couldn't see the obvious pity that the adults around him gave him, nor that he could see the spotlight that society put on him for being such an underwhelming anomaly.

He instead opted to bury himself into books, documentaries and reports about heroes- anything hero related. His eyes drank up any little idiosyncrasy they adopted. He vividly, vicariously lived his life through theirs.

But then, once... He sat numbly in front of his computer in the dark. Books, papers, newspapers, reports, storage devices about heroes laid haphazardly all over his floor. At that time, his lovely mother entered the pitch dark room. Light peered through the gap to fall on the face of a desperate little boy.

The child opened his big emerald eyes, which looked bloodshot as his mind stood trembling in front of the truth. It was on its last stand, teetering and shambling with pain. His raspy voice quivered as he spoke-

"_Hey, mom? Do you think even I could be a hero?_"

Doubt niggled and bit into his mind, sinking its fangs deep into his psyche. He had lived up to this day, with it eating him alive. It was a gluttonous little thing.

There were two paths in front of him. One of an underdog, or one of a madman who refused to listen to reason. Lately, he was feeling like his mind was the one being driven to the depths of insanity.

His mother teared up along with him, as tears shone and dribbled down his cheek reflecting how his grief was flooding out at last. She ran towards him for a bone-crushing hug.

And then proceeded to apologize fervently.

"_I'm so sorry, Izuku_" she sobbed like a grave sinner pleading with the gods for a tiny bit of mercy. her tears flooded as it became clear that she was lamenting his fate, having long accepted it and having cemented it -engraved it deep within his very being.

He felt like the hell he was put on wouldn't even put on the appearance of giving him a thin, spider thread to climb out off with.

There were no pleasantries, no excuses, no wishful or hopeful thinking, no mollycoddling and no pacifying him. She simply laid out the truth for him.

Then...

_He would choose to be blind._


	2. Sticky Situation

Heya guys,

Thanks for the review, Xelephane :D

I hope you enjoy the story. Lemme know what ya think afterwards, yeah?

Onwards! :3

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Sticky Situation**

From that day, Midoriya felt a strange sense of calmness wash over him. His eyes no longer followed his line of sight towards his body parts. If his eyes fell on his hands, it would immediately dart to any other part of the scene.

He spent all his free time in the local library whenever his mother shooed him out of the house for some fresh air. His eyes would sparkle and his pupils would expand so much, it would try to explode from its cornea and try to pour over the contents. His vision would feel like it got hijacked into the story those letters in those pages would tell him.

Bright coloured clothes. A billowing cape. A grin stretching from end to end- a smile that no one or no monster could wipe out. An optimism justified by one's own actions and track record.

His predictions about their actions were so accurate that it felt like the very next actions were from his very own thoughts- like he was the person with all the quirks the world could offer.

So familiar was the forest haired boy with the heroes, whose public conquests were broadcasted for the world to see, that their nature was becoming second- no first nature.

Pictures enhanced his imagination, the discourse guided and nudged his thoughts towards what was closer to reality and the results made him adjust his expectations. And so the narrative developed, as his own memories became tainted with the ones he constructed on someone else's behalf- like he was slowly becoming something closer to a collective conscience; a hive mind.

He certainly did everything that could aid his current to that end.

Midoriya visited the sites and scenes in person, personally travelling to the scenes on foot, on cycle and on the bus. The route to the site of the crime was mentally mapped into his mind. His ears picked up the daily conversations that the people around him spoke about and became familiar with the local environment, along with their mindset. The sites, landmarks, the scene in question was carefully observed and contrasted against what was reported.

The obsession ran deep. He attended olympiads, using the price money to earn enough money for travels to foreign crime scenes. Meanwhile, he spent time scouring through the internet for webcam videos- online surveillance- around the scene of impact. He kept maps tracking the time and place of incidents corresponding to events throughout its entire timeline. He kept torn scraps from costumes that the heroes shed from tough and intense fights with their adversaries. He knew the material of the costumes which they wore, the benefits it gave them and how it complemented their quirks. He knew how the battle progressed to the point in which that particular piece got ripped out in that particular method.

Their family TV remote had to be replaced multiple times due to its wear and tear from excessive usage.

He latched on words that other people said, etching their gestures and expressions in his memories to better experience their experiences the next time. He looked into public records regarding the background and past activities and hallmarks.

It took time and a large amount of effort. The commute time was unforgiving, sapping away time that he could spend on-site and its fees weren't something to scoff at, especially when aggregated. His ears could eavesdrop in the proximity of a short distance. His very presence could distract people from being good targets for observation. His selective attention paying mind could prevent him from seeing things that could be noticed in future observations. Some aspects of the scene could be better appreciated in retrospective too. Also, the authorities near those scenes typically didn't allow recording or tampering of the scene, even if it was for his version of inspection- though he could have tested any hypotheses he got of the scene by creating a replica of it back at home.

He needed to be discreet. His operations needed to be more covert, more far reaching. He realized he couldn't be in all these places at the same time, nor could he efficiently and effectively capture such a wide network doing things this way.

Which lead him to develop systems to automate much of the process, so that his area of vision would be much wider. He wanted to see everything they saw- he wanted to bridge the psychic gap that limited the extent to which he could empathize with the other person. It took long sleepless nights, fraying his already dangling sense of reason and sanity, to put together resources to enable him for his purpose from the treasure trove the internet could offer a person with a vendetta for such things. But it was like a positive feedback loop, every success fueled his desperation, pushing him further down a rabbit hole.

He could almost see the action like he was right there in the scene, in the first person. Unfortunately, it'll last until the very last page, dragging him back to reality. Or he'd be put back to reality with the impatient librarian who wanted to close up the library for the night.

The world around him became painfully vivid, making him feel hyperfocused on its very aspect. He observed for the sake of observing. His cacophonous mind quietened down when he did so, as they instead spent their efforts putting order into what went around him.

It was technically a high he put himself into- a consequence of trying to destroy his ego.

Sure, Bakugo got pissed off enough to try to ground him and gravity (of his situation probably) would love to aid; but it was of no use. He felt himself so untethered, he was as high as a kite.

The explosive kid's fuse was probably getting shorter as shorter, as he could plainly see that anything he said to the greenette was going to one ear and out the other.

There was no going through Midoriya Izuku anymore. Whatever the child could perceive, was not from reality anymore. Well... Midoriya Inko was willing to turn a blind eye- the smile which was back on the child's face was a price she was willing to pay for.

After all...

Nothing was going to come out of anything he did or would do anyway.

* * *

Years passed, and the young quirkless child reached the start of his teenage years.

Bakugo snapped harshly that day, his ears felt incensed at the intense rambling that Midoriya got into. The greenette's mouth got roused at his seatmate's talk with his friend regarding the latest hero rescue.

"Blah, blah, blah. You can't shut up for one second when it's about heroes. I bet you've written one heck of a diary entry from today's entry. Let's see-"

Seeing Midoriya's eyes warily following Bakugo's words, the two friends huffed a sigh of relief, finally being ridden off the greenette's enthusiasm- the guy wouldn't get a clue.

He then snatched the well worn out book from the other's table, to see extensive diagrams along with an action by action breakdown of the incident.

"If I didn't know that the report was from the news channel, I'd think it was choreographed action scene from a movie you'd concoct from one of your delusions of being the next hero.

Why do you even bother with this bullshit anyway?! You never get it, do you, _Deku._

I'll throw you a bone for once. Do you know how the quirkless idiotic you can be a hero?"

He then chucked the notebook out of the window callously and cruelly continued.

"If you go flying like that. Perhaps, in your _next _life, you could get a quirk that could get you to the _starting line_."

Midoriya's open-mouthed smile aborted, all excitement from that conversation was gone- leaving any sort of life he had at that time. The explosive boy was very good at hitting exactly where it hurt- and he never forgot to remind Midoriya just who he actually was, cutting off all his escape routes.

It was the harsh dose of reality. Stripped away from his deepest coping mechanism, having it thrown right off the window, both metaphorically and literally, had put him right into the spot.

Midoriya's feet scampered squeakily. He ran straight for the door, his aim was obviously the soaked and ruined book- _utterly unsalvageable_.

Bakugo snorted at the pathetic child.

The forest haired child hands dipped into the fountain, picking up pages. But no matter how carefully or daintily he tried to retrieve them, they easily tore when they breathed into the atmosphere. _They were much better off drowning. _His eyes felt hot and his tears were free-falling into the already torn pages, further smudging and damaging all his hard work.

With his nose dripping next, he spent the rest of the school day, scavenging ruined papers for some reason that felt compelling to only his mind, and nothing else. If there was a point to doing this, his logical mind couldn't supply it. Yet it felt so entwined to his very existence, that he couldn't help but put his everything to collect them all.

School had finished for the day and he didn't learn anything that day.

Another pointless effort.

* * *

On the way back, he picked up his phone to habitually look at the footage around his neighbourhood. There on the corner of one of the several screens, a slimy thing lurked into a sewer.

Strangely enough, All Might was there.

Midoriya's fanboy instincts flared at the seemingly once in a lifetime chance of meeting his superhero. Was that slime a monster or something? Would he have the chance of being present _live_ in the scene as his biggest hero would easily with the monster? Maybe he could get an autograph. Or maybe...

The world's greatest hero could have a bit of life-changing advice for his predicament? Maybe...

Just Maybe...

He _was _All Might after all.

_And All Might never let anything get to him. All Might could get over any and every obstacle. There wasn't anything that could possibly stop All Might._

His feet started shuffling towards the area, jittering in excitement. The lad had put the sour incident into the very recesses of his mind.

He ran hard, following the route the hero would be taking, connecting where the other would be from every surveillance camera.

His eyes sparkled emeralds and were stretched wide open as doors opened right in front of him.

_If it was All Might, maybe he could save him. Maybe he wasn't a hopeless case that was no helping with._

Pearl-like tears fell from his tears, relief flooding him- sparkling like hints of joy.

_If it was the guy who singlehandedly did the impossible- the pillar that held up society._

Blood circulated through his body, as adrenaline flooded his system giving him a fighting chance against his life.

_If it was the guy who fought against the impossibility every day, eating it for breakfast._

Huh? Something odd was happening... All Might was going to a rather secluded part of the neighbourhood. Was there where the slime was heading?

Midoriya's eyes bugged out as he reached the spot, just to see the hero's body shrink down to a lanky form and there in front of him was a gaunt, exhausted older man.

The other looked so... _human_.

The hero looked at the boy in shock.

"All... might...?"

"What are you doing here?! This was not supposed to be happening. How?! Why?! Well, you see... uh-"

Seeing the other scramble for excuses didn't deter Midoriya from continuing, concern bleeding into his face as his eyes fell on the ghastly wound on the man's stomach.

"What... happened to you?"

It was a question that stopped the other from panicking, and the man sighed wearily.

"A villain did this to me during a mission. He took advantage of my recklessness. Think of it as the follies of one's youth."

He scratched his head as the worried teen kept his eyes on the wound. That didn't seem to decrease the child's furrowed brows.

"I'm fine, kid. Don't look so worried. It's all in the past now.

Well, anyway. I'm guessing you spotted me and chased me here for something. Mind sharing?" he asked looking at the out-of-breath teen in front of him.

"I... I wanted to ask you something.

I've been preparing to go to UA for my high school. I want to be a hero like you, All Might.

I've always looked up to you!"

"Well, isn't that great, kid! We'll always welcome the next generation of heroes. It'll help us a lot to fight evil.

I'm sure you can do it."

"W-well, it's, uh, my abilities.

D-do you think any person could be a hero? Regardless of what they possess?"

"Quirks are quite versatile you know.

If you learn to unleash all your potential, I think you'll do a whole lot of good for the people around you.

Anything can be a worthwhile tool if wielded properly; and responsibly."

"...

...

...even if I don't have a quirk?" his voice was barely a whisper like he was talking about taboos- one that he forbade himself from even brushing against.

"..."

His eyes fell right on the older man's foot. He felt like he couldn't look up and face the now human, the distilled version of the hero he had worshipped so reverently.

_Even though it was facing the man who wouldn't, will not let the world down._

A sombre voice spoke out to him.

"Kid... It's great to have dreams.

You can dream higher than the very skies that surround us.

But... it doesn't really work out in reality.

Sometimes... In real life, you've got to be practical to survive in the harsh trials and tribulations it could throw at you.

You've got to face reality, regardless of how cruel it could be. You'll become stronger from it."

The teen looked at the other, utterly lost. The forest haired child's defences laid in shambles, it was all left out in the open from the trust he had for the other.

The words were slowly and softly put out at him, gently putting him down.

The symbol of peace.

The symbol of justice.

Yet, Midoriya's heart was in chaos and his very being felt the injustice done against him because of a single and innate aspect of his.

The man buffed himself right in front of eyes, from a seemingly new danger. The hero placed an arm on his shoulder in support- in reassurance.

And went right out of the scene.

Midoriya was left to pick of the pieces of his soul.

Tears fell, drop by drop, and vanished into the ground; the ground that so desperately wanted his feet.

He couldn't scream even if he wished, for there was no one to hear his voice, nor were they willing to entertain his tantrums.

His nails bit harshly into his hands, and his blood cried in companionship to his lonely tears.

* * *

After a long time, he walked back through the narrow lanes and eventually his eyes lay on a suspicious sewer on the way. It had just recently shook for some reason.

"...Oh right. Wasn't there a slime that fell into the sewers?"

The lid jumped off with a bang as a gooey monster flowed quickly towards him as soon as it heard that.

"How the fuck do you know that?!" it roared furiously, not at all appreciating the surprise reveal of his hideout.

Midoriya was far too exhausted to get shocked by the abomination.

"Well, I saw you slinking into one when All Might was distracted."

"Don't even remind me of that. It was the worst!"

"He's still around here, you know."

"What?! You've got to be joking with me! I should probably get a hostage or something. The just idiot probably wouldn't move those big fat muscles off his if I tried running off with one!"

"It's not a really good idea. All Might has really fast reflexes and can move extremely fast. I doubt you can stop or avoid a blow of his." the teen mused, observing how slow the other's appendages moved and remembering how swiftly the hero dispatched hostage scenarios in the past. He continued,

"Plus, if he punched through, you might have a tough time recouping. Because you'd be scattered from the force-"

"Okay, Einstein! I get it! Well, do you have a plan then?! What can I do to get away from him?!"

In retrospect, Midoriya shouldn't really have engaged this slime. But...

It's been so long since someone sincerely heard him talk about heroes. He finally got an opportunity to talk about the stuff he'd been researching into.

His mother either looked like she was sitting on needles if he talked about his passions in front of her, or shallowly indulged him by treating his words like babbles.

Kacchan... well, let's leave him.

His classmates didn't like the feeling of being equals with him, and preferred if they could mock him. They egged Kacchan to explode at him whenever he peeped about them, even for a second.

His neighbours would prefer to pity him or gossip about what his mother did to get him as a result- like it was a culmination of her misdeeds. It was downright uncomfortable to talk about things with people who looked through you.

Any friends... were hard to come by since the box put over him for merely being a quirk was difficult to shed off. He was a person who was easy to disregard and look down on. He was a person who was hard to look beyond the ability he was bestowed with. It effectively coated his entire existence. No one looked past it.

Right now, he felt like he'll take anything he can get- even if it meant that the only attention he could get was that of a slime monster.

Talking was soothing, it felt like a panacea.

"Why not the sewer? It could lead in and out of town. But, if you walk in it, you'll stick out a lot. You could try flowing through the fluids- it's like hiding a tree in a forest.

If you play smart, All Might won't be able to find you- since that's not the way he tackles problems."

"What?! You want me to get in all that muck and shit?!"

"You're sludge. You can't call the kettle black."

"If this doesn't work... I'll swallow you, and then you'll be the shit...

Say, where is All Might right now? I dunno where to go."

"He's 4 blocks north-" and he felt like he preened a bit when the other muttered 'cool' when it looked at his mobile. He continued,

"You've got a bit of time to get away. Maybe go east to the next town. It's more industrial-focused, so it's got a lot of waste disposal facilities- basically, lots of places to hide in given your quirk.

Essentially, you can play whack a mole with him, if you like."

"Hmm... So you _are _smart" he spoke slyly, a gleam of craftiness appeared in his eyes and then the monster grabbed him and dragged him down the sewer.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight. What if you snitch on All Might the moment I go off-grid?"

Midoriya snorted softly and said, "Fine, if you're so scared, I'll keep you company, you big baby."

The slime didn't bother hearing him out and immediately dove into the liquid waste- and dissolved into it.

"What the fuck?!- You little brat- I can't turn back! You're going pay for that!"

Midoriya panicked when he saw that the other mixed a little too well with the medium. He shrieked,

"This is bad!-" "-You think, captain obvious?!-" "If you flow with the current, you'll reach the sewage treatment facility and you'll be purified!"

"What?! Do something, numbskull!"

Midoriya thinking quick on his feet ran and carried the manhole, exerting his scrawny arms. The guy was in danger, he had to act quickly and swiftly, and so he pushed himself harder to dash right to the treatment.

His focus sharpened for he needed to be faster than the quickly flowing 'buddy' of his. He dashed to the tanks and threw the lid in the pipe between the collection tank and the other tank filled with anaerobic bacteria.

"What did you do?!" asked the clueless and panicking sludge.

"I stopped you from being eaten alive by bacteria."

"That doesn't help me get out of this situation. Do you want me to live my life as literal scum?! I'll drown you, fucker!"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan for that."

He ran to look for a control panel for the treatment facility, finding a temperature control. He knew there would be one to give control for the maintenance staff- and then he proceeded to raise the heat.

"You nut! I'm burning up here!"

"Well, you're hot shit now. Leaving that aside. It's only for a bit. It'll evaporate excess water, and you can be semi-solid again."

True to his word, the monster was soon able to control his own quirk- but looked highly disgruntled.

"If I become fat because of this-"

"I'll pay for your gym membership for the year then-"

"That's uh-"

"We have to go pronto. All Might has gotten a notice that those cans didn't secure you- and the manhole that I snuck out is a big clue about where you would be hiding."

"Oh shit. The hostage scenario is the only option left, huh? I knew that playing it simple, was the best option" the monster was inching towards the lad. The other mused,

"...Maybe you can go through the sewage the way you are right now."

"The plan already failed once!"

"Look, the situation's different now. You're the size of an entire tank worth sludge. The tank's capacity is made according to the amount of sewage in a small cross-section-"

"Leave the fucking theory- explain it like I'm five!"

"See, if a cat swallows a huge hairball, it's going to clump together with other hair and can stay in one piece during its entire digestion cycle- it'll spit it out finally."

"Dude your examples are weird as fuck."

"Argh. You're hot shit, so everyone here wants to stick with you. They can't break you, cos you're hot shit."

"Gross."

"Do you get it or not?!"

"Yeah, yeah. Calm your tits."

And the dense slime slunk back into the sewage and was successfully able to clump its way through the tank. Shit came and shit went, but that was life. It left you in one piece.

It was quite philosophical to see.

There were footsteps coming closer to his side and Midoriya looked to see All Might in his full glory, looking a bit tense.

"Kid! What are you doing here?!" even as he asked, the hero was looking around in the surrounding, probably trying to find where the sludge went.

The hero was someone people associated with relief, that if he was there, all was well. It made Midoriya feel unconsciously relieved- even though their interaction was anything but soothing.

That look along with the battered look sported by the kid gave the hero the wrong conclusion.

"I saw the manhole was missing. Boy, did you fall down in here? Let's get you out of here!"

It was a quick rescue and the hero was gone as quickly as he appeared.

Midoriya was never put in the other's eye.

It was only after the entire incident, that the boy realized what he had done.

He helped a villain escape and _quite proactively at that._

Turns out, that sense of heroism that showed up every time he saw someone in trouble popped up in the worst possible place.

It had always been unwarranted.

The ones he tried to lend a hand towards

_Bakugo's appalled look at being the one who needed help_

_A Look of incredulity towards him offering help, despite being so damn powerless._

And now...

Was it heroism if the person he helped wasn't someone that society would deem worthy of help?

Was he to extend how society treated people based on their identity, based on one aspect.

To not help because the other was a villain.

To not be considered a hero because the other was quirkless.

Was it the same? Or was it apples to oranges?


	3. To live to your expectations

Heya guys,

Thanks for the reviews, megasharpy and MIKE202303 =D

Well, I've been AWOL for quite some time huh? I hope you guys enjoy the story. Lemme know how you felt bout it afterwards k?

Onwards! :D

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**To live to your expectations**

Midoriya didn't look at the other looks that had been shown to him. They were looks that accused him of being things far worse than being quirkless.

_That boy... must have done something to deserve being quirkless. Bad things don't happen to those with a pure heart._

Words had been carelessly thrown around, infecting each other's mind as they couldn't believe that such a well-meaning, good-hearted person could be given such a hopeless fate- especially from their benevolent saviour. That honourable being would only bestow such a fate in just retribution.

Those clear eyes that had previously honestly and simply accepted his token gestures and outstretched hand now looked at him with suspicion- they doubted his intentions and second-guessed his every action- scrutinized it under a metaphorical magnifying lens.

They expected him to snap under the pressure, under all those judgemental eyes. He ticked many checkboxes after all. He was bullied. He was quirkless- he was powerless. He was an easy target, easy to look down on. He couldn't possibly get any real achievements. He had no future prospects- according to them.

At the best case, he would become a shut-in, a NEET or a hikikomori- forever requiring the support of his parents to survive. His mother was vouching for this and she worked like she'd work until her back breaks for this.

At the worst case, he would get influenced and become a delinquent- dying a dogs death after committing every act of social menace he could under the influence and amidst the wrong crowd.

Either way, they didn't approve.

He saw an old woman looking across the streets.

"Grandma, wait a bit. I'll help you out." he reached a hand out so that she could use it to stabilize herself. She whacked his hand away and started muttering hysterically to herself.

"Go... Go far away from me, you menace."

She moved her cane to hit him and he, in his full black cat form, turned into pitch dark ravens and flew right into the sky and away from her chastises.

The thing is, Midoriya couldn't feel that he could _ever_ manage to do that.

If he could ever give up- even if it let things become just that small bit easier for him... Midoriya would have been able to give up by raising the white flag.

There was a central and vital part of him, one that remained steadfast and firm, pulsing with that hope-

_I want to be a hero_

**But I became an accomplice**

Midoriya gasped awake from that nightmare, drenched in sweat.

* * *

A classmate, one of the more curious ones, looked towards Bakugo and asked,

"Hey, Bakugo. Why don't you just Midoriya be when he says he wants to go to UA?

It's not like there are only hero courses offered there, right? He's smart right? He could at the very least support heroes off-field and from the sidelines-"

"Ha?! Are you stupid or something?!

If that Deku became support, he'd stupidly fail in doing that. The idiot can't stop himself from charging headfirst into any situation that looks remotely grave.

Making him any kind of hero is an absolute waste of any training he can sit through- Deku'd just get himself killed on the first mission. What do you think Villains are?!

Last time I checked, UA isn't looking for cannon fodders or suicide bombers."

* * *

In the next day from the sewer incident

Midoriya went straight to the television, 'It should be alright. At most what I did yesterday could extend the time until that guy's capture. All might wouldn't have any trouble capturing-' and then he stared quietly at the news headline.

"... but how?"

Inko looked at him and placatingly told him, "Izuku dear, even heroes have bad days sometimes."

Then where was that slime monster right now? Was he in the sewage, slowly amassing waste?

Wait... Didn't he recommend him to go to a town which had more toxic, abundant and potent waste?!

His eyebrows scrunched up in tension. If he's back, was he in his vicinity monitoring him?

"Oh right Izuku. The police said they wanted you to head by the station for a witness interrogation."

"...Okay, Kaa-san... I'll be heading over there." he replied somewhat distracted.

When he walked through the doors of the station, the officers' gaze flitted towards him, recognition flashing in their eyes.

'That's odd. I've never had any prior visits to the police station. Why do they know me?

...It's almost like I'm on some kind of watch list...'

He had been invited to sit in the room, offered hot chocolate before the officer who would interrogate him would drop by and ask him some standard questions.

The man in front of him had a look suspicion straight at him for a second, before turning neutral and asking questions about whether he had seen a monster in that sewer- in a myriad of different ways as if he was trying to catch him slip.

The guy seemed convinced that he was in cahoots with the creature- which was spot on. It was just that Midoriya didn't know where this sudden suspicion was coming from.

It didn't seem like anything from standard procedures like the TV documentaries showed.

It was as if the guy was impatient because quirkless people could be easy to intimidate and get information from. He felt like that idea felt more like it was coming from his own biases and experiences.

It was also as if being quirkless somehow made it more likely to be in cahoots with a villain.

But that was _odd. _Why would quirkless people be advantageous to villains? What benefits could they ever give them?

Seeing his look of utter confusion throughout the interrogation, the police had no choice but to let him go.

But Midoriya's mind was stuck with that thought process. It was as if he felt like he was onto something big.

'Let's say that all quirkless people thought like me and they wanted to be heroes. They'd need to protect themselves and protect someone else against villains with dangerous quirks. Since they don't have quirks, they would at first glance seem like easy victims and seem even more vulnerable than the citizens themselves.

So... to be useful, they would need to better themselves... or attain a quirk from somewhere...?

No! That's plain ridiculous! If that was possible, then I... I-!'

Cutting through the anguish that filled his mind right then, Midoriya thought again-

'...But, what if that was possible...?

Why wouldn't it be publicized? They could help the minority, us, from this discrimination. It was a democracy, wasn't it? Or was it a form of oppression to centralize power?-

No, that didn't make sense. It would just take one person leaking information for this to collapse into riots from our side then. At the very least, it would have become insider information or facts that were unspoken in the public.

But that doesn't exist. I don't know of a way to do this- I mean, that would have been first in my priority list of options then...'

He smacked right into a telephone pole and crouched down in pain. Thinking through his pain-filled tears, he resumed.

'_What if... there was technology- maybe even a quirk that could do this?_

If it was dangerous... it couldn't be a copy quirk to others type of quirk. People would line up even if it was temporary...

Even if that was weaponizable, it would be beneficial to the heroes' fighting force...

_What if... it was transferrable?_'

He stopped in horror. It would mean that there was a quirk that allowed a person to rob one of the most important things of a person and attain it.

'_A person_ _could create people like me_'

It was terrifying. If he was suffering being born with this condition... Imagine people who have this done to them.

_'It would be like dropping a person to the depths of hell.'_

Midoriya shook his head in denial.

'If something like that existed, won't they be on the spotlight as one of the world's most evil villains? It's definitely impossible.

It's all speculation.

Maybe it's not even as bad as I think it would be. Maybe it's like an inheritance-'

He paused in his walk again, before thinking wistfully- 'Well, it's too good to be true. It's also kind of painful to do that to another person.

Maybe it's all just that, that kind of quirk is just too unlikely to manifest. It's kind of weird that quirks would have that limitation. I mean, it's more like quirks enable people to go over their limits'

His eyes moved towards the sky, remembering All Might and all the hope that he fostered in people and a stray thought appeared in his mind.

'If it was possible to do that amicably...it would be nice if someone let me inherit it then... '

and then he paused again with a more sombre thought appearing in his mind.

'What if there were people who were willing to go to extreme extents to get a quirk, or even try to swap their quirk or gain a quirk- even at the extent of taking someone else's quirk.'

He looked at his own hands, doubting whether he was the type of person who would go that far.

'Would I do that? If I had that kind of power, would I take one of out spite?

Would I take one to become a hero? Heroism out of sacrifices? Or a means towards an end?'

His mind flashed with the suspicious look of the policemen.

'It was as if he was accusing me of doing such things. Was it somehow more likely that people like me would do something like that?

What if... there was a temptation that would put us in just that situation- to let people like me become the very person the policemen suspected us off?'

Midoriya couldn't let his thoughts feel like a fluke. He needed to dispel these thoughts as pure nonsense.

If this existed... he couldn't bear to let something like this happen to someone else.

When he reached home, he could only barely give the most basic of greetings to his mom as he buried himself into research.

'This kind of thing is definitely confidential.

If there's one person who should have dealt with something of this level, it's probably All Might.'

He looked at the extensive records he had kept of his favourite hero and looked at it confused.

'If it were public or hinted at- I would have written it down immediately.' it was definitely strange. If Midoriya was All Might's biggest fan- he should have already heard of this case.

'But All Might's always been collected and calm. He's never failed...

Or has he?' but that doubt immediately brought a gut-wrenching opposition from himself.

'Who knows, maybe the policeman was just suspicious because All Might failed in the capture and logically just made me the prime suspect?

In the first place- was it just because I'm quirkless that he suspected me?'

His mind got back to his nightmare- It couldn't be so, right? That people didn't expect him to be a hero, just because they knew he was quirkless. Worse yet, they expected him to be a villain for it...?

'But, the grape doesn't fall far from the vine...'

Midoriya then started voraciously going through forums to search for another quirkless person. It just had to be his persecution complex, right?

And something strange started to show through. The people who he suspected to be quirkless, seemed to go MIA after some time of interaction- and it was a consistent trend.

"Is there something more to this...?" his voice quivered with dawning horror.

He could accept if some of then went lurking into the shadows to avoid being associated with that moniker- he himself did this for the same- but this was way too many to be a coincidence.

'When did quirks arrive? How did they arrive? What happened to the quirkless people back then?'

He then went library surfing- to find that part of the history strangely lacking explanation. But, by then, weeks had passed and he was expected to let the school know of his future plans, now that the students were close to graduation.

"Huh, what? I'm sorry sensei. I completely forgot about it until now." Midoriya said distractedly.

The teacher looked incredulously at the boy who always seemed like he was meticulous about the things around his life to an S. Midoriya, on the other hand, let his teacher's remarks fly right over his head as his thoughts preoccupied him.

He even let a dismissive comment about his dream future prospects from Bakugo leave unchallenged. Needless to say, the explosive kid didn't appreciate being ignored.

"_Deku! _Who gave you the balls to ignore me?! Eh?!" and proceeded to scream right over the teacher's disapproval over his language choice.

Midoriya looked at the other contemplatively.

'I could ask Kacchan about it. But he's not invested in anything related to quirklessness at all.' and simply settled for a token sorry, before letting his attention wander again, becoming completely lost into it as he ended up ignoring the beat up that the infuriated blonde gave him for that.

He looked at the new stacks of notebooks that he had, this time covered with information about his current obsession of the mysteries of quirklessness as he tried to trace back the history of villains to see if there was a link. So far it was quite, nada.

He could have seen if he could contact All Might himself and clarify this, given the other's illustrious history... But he was reluctant after the dose of reality that the other offered him. Those words had haunted him ever since, especially because the beacon of hope pretty much took his hope away from him.

'I wonder if I'm chasing shadows...' but even still, the idea hit so close to home. It could possibly be the one thing that he could do for those travelling the same path as him.

'If they were really disappearing. Where are they now? Why hasn't All Might done something for them?

Did he give up on them _because that's how reality is _?' he thought bitterly.

'Did something happen that it was too late to do something about them?

Were quirkless people too fragile that they couldn't be rescued? That there wasn't even a sign left behind as they were almost Kamikakushi'd by something?

Then... why? What was that suspicion...?'

He felt like he was splitting hairs here.

'_Maybe... maybe I could know about it if I was an insider_'

It was a morbid thought, but somehow it was sweeter than the devil's whisper.

* * *

_It's nice to have dreams, but sometimes, you've got to look at reality and make practical choices._

His eyes wandered to the rich sources of information about heroes. Information that Villains would probably kill to have.

Information that allowed one to slip right through the radar of the beacon of hope.

He remembered the looks of suspicion directed at him- the nightmare and the interrogation coinciding together.

He remembered the looks of utter dismissal, disapproval and ridicule from the people around him- like they wouldn't even care if he just stopped breathing one day. Kacchan's eyes had pretty much been seared into his body.

_What can you even do?! Being a hero is impossible for the likes of you._

At that time, as if on cue the sludge villain popped up in front of him.

"Say, you know- I found that you were surprisingly useful last time. And you're still smart enough to keep your mouth shut until now.

I almost thought I'd have to settle for plan B and poison that water tanks of that police station if you showed the signs of wanting to snitch.

It's as expected of my cute little accomplice."

Midoriya could smell the noxious fumes and understood that the guy listened to his advice quite sincerely. It was like a textbook case of knowledge mishandled.

Even now, the guy's hands were near the pipes that pumped towards the kitchen- where his mother was cooking. She even had the habit of taste testing frequently- it was like a bad joke.

This sludge villain held the door to a divergent path- one he could never return from. It was like his paranoid brain had hit the bullseye. He was right- that all of this would have hit him right in the back. He had been jittery ever since the incident. Maybe it was Karma?

But, even now- there was an escape. But it would come at a cost and leave him all alone. Even so, he would have done the _**right** _thing. He was still under surveillance, even if it was not tight. He could stall for time or lead him around in circles after the villain carried out his threat, and then All Might could find him and _he..._

But if he went through the door, he could do something with these hands of his, even if it became filthy- that is, if his hypothesis was actually true. He could be lead right to the hornet's nest. One that even All Might possibly hadn't dealt with.

But then, his life would amount to one that wouldn't worth a tombstone in the grave. Surprisingly... Midoriya was okay with that.


End file.
